In December 2009 UW-Platteville was awarded its first gender equity award, the Laboratory of Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University and the NCAA’s Diversity in Athletics Award for the 2008-09 academic year. This award was presented to UW-P because of the number of female athletes compared to the number of female undergraduate students enrolled.

The Diversity in Athletics Award originated from a study at the University of Texas A&M, in which over 1,300 questionnaires were used to find proportionality of diversity within college athletics. Nine Division III schools received the Diversity in Athletics Award for 2008-09, according to the NCAA news.

“To receive this award, as a member of the female athletic population, is a great accomplishment,” Abby Carey, senior health promotion major and varsity women’s volleyball player, said.

“This is the first award for gender equity at Platteville,” Paul Erickson, sports information director, said.

The university’s athletic department has received other awards, including community service awards and awards for the student athletes having higher GPA’s compared to the student body as a whole, Erickson said.

“I am glad to see my hard work and the work of my fellow athletes is being recognized,” Gabrielle Ethier, junior math education major and track and field athlete, said.

This award means a great deal to the university as a whole as well as the athletes themselves. Stacia Nemitz, senior health promotion major and varsity basketball guard said, “I am proud to say that I am a woman college athlete.”

There are eight female varsity sports available for women to participate in, which is equal to the number of male sports sponsored by the university.

“Even though I do not know all the women athletes on campus, we all have something in common,” Nemitz said. “We made our sport a priority in our lives and we compete at a high level.”

“This [award] proves that we are doing things the right way to ensure that student athletes get the best, positive experience,” Erickson said.

To learn more about the Diversity in Athletics Awards visit NCAA.org.